Although hardcore Formula One fans know that the Monaco circuit doesn't deliver a cracking race in terms of overtaking action, there's still something about it that gets the pulse racing. Considered by many to be the jewel in the F1 calendar, there are a few contenders vying to snatch that title from Monaco, but for now, the glorious weather and beautiful vistas hiding a treacherous and difficult circuit are hard to beat. This weekend has the added attraction of the return of Jenson Button, whilst we'll all be keeping one eye on Fernando Alonso in the US.

Event schedule

So far, the 2017 season continues to be all about Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, with the latter taking victory last time out in Spain to close the championship gap to his rival. Valtteri Bottas suffered a disappointing retirement, which was all the more painful coming on the back of his first ever F1 race win. All of those three, plus Kimi Räikkönen, probably, will be looking for success around the streets of Monte Carlo.

But the unpredictable nature of the track, and the feisty performances of some of the drivers, may cause an incident or two this weekend. Look out for Lance Stroll and Jolyon Palmer who are garnering reputations for poor performances, and for the Red Bull boys - both have the opportunity to make the most of a circuit which favours bodywork over power unit, but have to tame their styles around the unforgiving track.

Finally, it's worth keeping an eye on McLaren, as it's their one chance to get a good result and Jenson Button, whilst perhaps being rusty, knows Monaco like the back of his hand. The team will also want to show that they can hold their own even without the likes of Alonso.

Support racing for this event includes Eurocup Formula Renault, FIA Formula 2 and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Expected conditions

Weather forecasters have decided this weekend will by dry and sunny throughout, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, Monaco in the rain is a terrifying prospect, but on the other hand, no mixed conditions means it should be a straight forward event with little overtaking. Thursday may be slightly cloudy but it only gets clearer as the weekend begins.

Circuit history

Monaco's vast Formula One history means this is the 64th event around the twisting streets of Monte Carlo, and it's one of the few tracks that appeared on the first World Championship calendar in 1950. McLaren have picked up the most wins over the course of their history at Monaco, with the most recent being in 2008.

As you might imagine, the unpredictable nature of the event means it's a great place for drivers who aren't on pole to take victory. It's also the perfect spot for first time race winners to grab an otherwise unexpected opportunity. In fact, since 1950, nine drivers have taken their first race wins in Monaco, with Jarno Trulli the last (his only) in 2004.

Overtaking is rare around the extraordinarily narrow circuit, and the race in 2003 was one of the few that has been recorded as having no overtaking moves whatsoever. Hopefully this year's outing will be different, as we already had one of those this season with the Russian Grand Prix equalling that record.

Tyre compounds

This week is the first of the 2017 season that the teams and drivers have had free selection over how many of each compound they bring to the track. That means we could see more of a mix of strategies, and as Mario Isola says, there's plenty to look out for:

"The three softest compounds are the obvious choice for Monaco, but there is still plenty of scope for strategic variation, because wear and degradation is so low that the teams can more or less choose whenever they would like to make their single pit stop from ultrasoft to supersoft, which should be the standard choice for the race."

Selected tyre sets per driver

Lewis Hamilton	1	3	9
Valtteri Bottas	1	3	9
Daniel Ricciardo	1	1	11
Max Verstappen	1	1	11
Sebastian Vettel	1	2	10
Kimi Räikkönen	1	2	10
Sergio Pérez	1	2	10
Esteban Ocon	1	2	10
Felipe Massa	1	1	11
Lance Stroll	1	1	11
Jenson Button	2	1	10
Stoffel Vandoorne	1	2	10
Carlos Sainz	1	3	9
Daniil Kvyat	1	3	9
Romain Grosjean	1	2	10
Kevin Magnussen	1	2	10
Nico Hülkenberg	1	1	11
Jolyon Palmer	1	1	11
Pascal Wehrlein	1	2	10
Marcus Ericsson	1	2	10

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.